Treshon Broughton’s name had been linked to Oregon State for months. His heart, though, remained inside the Golden State’s borders.

Broughton, a senior defensive back for Vista Murrieta High, was one of the few surprises in recent weeks after he selected and ultimately signed with Fresno State on Wednesday.

Broughton led a class of 21 signees at Vista Murrieta for National Signing Day on Wednesday. Around the Valley, signing celebrations were held at Chaparral, Heritage, Paloma Valley, Temecula Valley and Vista Murrieta. Great Oak scheduled its signing party for Friday.

At Vista Murrieta, the front room of the gym barely had enough room to hold the signees, their families and friends.

Football coach Coley Candaele introduced a class that included the volleyball team’s “Fab Five,” national football player of the year Su’a Cravens, distance runner Porter Reddish, and, of course, Broughton.

Broughton came to Murrieta with his family from Tustin prior to last season. The defensive back had two interceptions and 40 tackles on the season.

His name had long been linked to Oregon State as a commit, but Broughton said Wednesday he never actually committed to the school, though he did take a trip there.

“What led me to Fresno State was being closer to my family and closer to my mom,” he said. “She can come see my games.

“(Fresno State) really made me feel comfortable,” he added.

Cravens, the USA Today Defensive Player of the Year, graduated from Vista Murrieta in December and is already attending USC. But the former Broncos safety returned Wednesday to celebrate with his signing class.

“I know it hasn’t been that long, but just coming back and seeing everybody is fun,” Cravens said. “Everybody’s been shaking my hand and asking me what’s up. It’s just fun to see my friends.”

Much has been made of the late defections of this year’s class at USC, including Redlands East Valley High defensive lineman Kylie Fitts, who decommitted from USC to sign with UCLA on Tuesday.

Cravens said there are no worries for the Trojans, who will still likely have a top-15 recruiting class.

“They’re going to be focused on the guys they got, not the guys they lost,” Cravens said. “Right now, we’re focused on the future, and that’s the guys we got this and the guys we got last year.”

Porter Reddish, the state-qualifying cross country and track runner, signed with BYU, opting to follow sister Erika. He had also taken a trip to the University of San Francisco, where teammate Omar Solis signed.

First, though, Reddish will go on his Mormon mission. Because LDS officials lowered the minimum mission age from 19 to 18 last fall, its college students no longer have to go to school for a year before embarking on their mission.

“It actually works out great for me,” Reddish said Wednesday.

At Chaparral, tight end Patrick Clifford made his verbal commitment to Nevada on Jan. 27, but there was still some anxiety that ensued in the period after. That apprehension dissipated Wednesday as his commitment to Nevada became official.

“There’s always a little uneasiness throughout the week because that over-the-phone committing, that verbal, it’s like a handshake,” Clifford said. “Once you get it on paper and it’s documented, the weight of the world is off your shoulders.”

Clifford’s teammate, Matt Grieb, a two-time all-Southwestern League offensive lineman, is heading to Western New Mexico to play tight end. There, he will catch passes from former Pumas quarterback Mitch Glassman.

“(Glassman) influenced me a lot,” Grieb said. “When I went on my visit there, he showed me around a lot. He showed me what to do, what the fun things are.”

Girls soccer defender Noelle Sanz signed her letter of intent to attend the University of Alabama.

In addition to the lingo, Sanz was drawn to Alabama because of the college atmosphere and the fact the coaching staff was supportive of her efforts to play internationally.

Sanz played on the Costa Rican national team against the United States on Sept. 1 in Rochester, N.Y. She played on the same field with notables such as Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe.

“I was playing against girls that I watched on TV play since I was 10 years old,” Sanz said. “It was just awesome to be on the same field. I was just in awe.”

Pumas volleyball player Taylor Johnson is attending Long Beach State because of the opportunity to play both women’s volleyball and beach volleyball, a newly instituted NCAA sport. Johnson has been playing the beach variety since 11. She also was lured by the chance to work with Olympic gold medalist Misty May, a Long Beach alumna and frequent visitor to the program there.

“It’s an upcoming program so I get to be a part of it in the beginning,” Johnson said.